Why McLaren's Alonso 'tricks' could backfire

At the end of 2017 Fernando Alonso could leave the failing McLaren-Honda partnership. McLaren's doing all it can to stop that from happening - but is letting him contest the Indianapolis 500 a sign things are going too far?

How far should a Formula 1 team go to keep its star driver happy? In the case of Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Honda seems to feel that extraordinary fuel is needed to keep the fire between them burning.

Instead of suiting up for F1's most prestigious race - the Monaco Grand Prix - on May 28, Alonso will instead contest the Indianapolis 500 with Honda-engined IndyCar team Andretti Autosport. This has McLaren's full blessing. In fact, McLaren's new executive director Zak Brown helped negotiate the deal, and the car will run as a McLaren entry in an orange livery.